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US 5,261,840 AGranted
Contact element and process for the production of a contact element
AssigneeSotax AG
InventorReinhard Benz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneeSotax AG
InventorReinhard Benz
Estimating the term…
The contact element has at least two parallel strips and a row of webs which are arranged between said strips, are of one piece with these and are twisted with respect to them and springy and have two constricted parts. Each web has two web edges, a first web edge having a convex part and the other, second web edge having a concave part, the convex part and concave part being located between the two constricted parts. When the webs are in the untwisted state, each convex part not arranged at the end of the web row projects into the concave part of the adjacent web. This enables the webs to compensate, by means of a spring travel, a large tolerance interval of the distance between two contact surfaces to be electrically conductively connected to one another by the contact element, the contact element simultaneously having a relatively large number of webs per length unit of the web row and being capable of being produced in an economical manner. A sheet metal is divided into the strips and the webs so that the sections of the sheet metal part which serve to form adjacent webs are separated from one another at least in the convex parts and concave parts by cutting processes without removal of material.
A contact element for an arrangement between two base contact parts to be connected electrically conductively to one another, the contact element comprising at least two strips and a row of webs which are arranged between said strips and are of one piece with said strips, said webs being twisted with respect to said strips and being springy, said webs having two web edges including a first web wedge having a convex part and a second web edge having a concave part, each convex part of the first web edge of a web not at an end of a web row projecting into said concave part of the second web edge of an adjacent one of said webs when said webs are in an untwisted state, each of said second web edges having on both sides of said concave part between said concave part and the adjacent strip a projecting part, each of said webs defining a straight contact line which touches said projecting parts of the web, each of said convex parts having a summit, the straight contact lines defined by directly adjacent ones of said webs being spaced from each other by a first distance measured parallel to a longitudinal direction of said row of webs, said first distance being smaller than a second distance from said summit of said convex part to said straight contact line touching the relevant web and measured at a right angle to said straight contact line.
A process for the production of a contact element for an arrangement between two base contact parts to be electrically conductively connected to one another, the process comprising the steps of providing at least two strips and a row of webs which are arranged between at least two strips and a row of webs which are arranged between the strips and being of one piece with the strips, twisting the webs with respect to the strips and making said webs springy and with two web edges including a first web edge having a convex part and a second web edge having a concave part such that each convex part of the first web edge of a web not at an end of the web row projects into the concave part of the second web edge of an adjacent web when the webs are in an untwisted state, each of said second web edges having on both sides of said convex part between said concave part and the adjacent strip a projecting part;
A contact element for an arrangement between two base contact parts to be electrically conductively connected to one another, the contact element comprising at least two strips and a row of webs which are arranged between said strips and are of one piece with said strips, said webs being twisted with respect to said strips and being springy, said webs having web edges including a first web having a convex part and a second web edge having a concave part, each convex part of said first web edge of a web not at an end of a web row projecting into said concave part of said second web edge of an adjacent one of said webs, when said webs are in an untwisted state, each of said second web edges having on both sides of said concave part between said concave part and the adjacent strip a projecting part, the webs directly adjacent to one another along said strips being separated from one another in a region of said convex parts and concave parts by cuts made without removal of material and at least approximately touching one another in the untwisted state, the webs directly adjacent to one another along said strips being separated by holes in untwisted state at both ends of said cuts.
A contact element for an arrangement between two base contact parts to be electrically conductively connected to one another, the contact element comprising at least two strips and a row of webs which are arranged between said strips and are of one piece with said strips, said webs being twisted with respect to said strips and being springy, said webs having two web edges including a first web edge having a convex part and a second web edge having a concave part, each convex part of said first web edge of a web not at an end of a web row projecting into said concave part of said second web edge of an adjacent one of said webs when said webs are in an untwisted state, said first web edge having a concave web edge section separating said convex part into two convex sub-parts, each of said second web edges having on both sides of said concave part between said concave part and the adjacent strip a projecting part, each of said web defining a straight contact line which touches said projecting parts of the relevant web, each of said convex parts having a summit, said contact lines defined by directly adjacent webs being spaced from each other by a first distance measured parallel to a longitudinal direction of the web row, said first distance being smaller than a second distance from said summits of said convex part to said contact line touching the relevant web and measured at a right angle to said contact line.
A contact element for an arrangement between two base contact parts to be electrically conductively connected to one another, the contact element comprising at least two strips and a row of webs which are arranged between said strips and are of one piece with said strips, said webs being twisted with respect to said strips and being springy, said webs having two web edges including a first web edge having a convex part and a second web edge having concave part, each convex part of said first web edge of a web not at an end of a web row projecting into said concave part of the second web edge of an adjacent one of said webs when said webs are in an untwisted state, each of said second web edges having at both sides between said concave part and the adjacent strip a projecting part.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.